… as DCMS ‘slowly’ unveils new identity

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will unveil its new identity gradually, after advice from its design group which fears a repeat of the bad publicity given to initial concepts (DW 30 October 1998).

The initial designs, by CDT Design, became a source of media condemnation after they were displayed in the DCMS building. A senior department employee warned: “If we proceed [with these concepts] we are going to get the pee taken out of us, big time.”

The department has now approved a final identity, and intends to launch it softly within the next two months. The new image is likely to appear for the first time as part of the department’s next, as yet unidentified, major initiative.

A DCMS spokeswoman declines to comment on any similarity between the initial and final design concepts.

“The launch needs to be handled in a sensitive way in light of the difficulties [associated with the coverage of the initial concepts]. These caused a lot of upset and we don’t want that kind of thing to happen again,” says CDT senior partner Mike Dempsey.

“I have come to the conclusion that launching an identity is counterproductive. There’s so much more to it than the logo, and yet that is all the press covers. Mischief-making journalists are just looking for a good story [based on how much money designers are paid, for how little work]. And with the Government there’s the added emotional dimension that it’s all being paid for with public money,” adds Dempsey.

He has recommended that the DCMS unveil the identity gradually, over a period of months, rather than with an official announcement.

The DCMS spokeswoman confirms the CDT-created identity will be rolled out in a gradual, low-profile scheme. But, she says: “We were never going to give it a big launch anyway.”